Card Number 371, Carrie Perkens, from the Actors and Actresses series (N145-5) issued by Duke Sons & Co. to promote Cameo Cigarettes 1880s

This small card, featuring Carrie Perkens, was created by W. Duke, Sons & Co. as a promotional item for Cameo Cigarettes. These cards, trading cards if you will, were inserted into cigarette packs. Perkens, an actor, is depicted in costume, which tells us something about the blurring of identity and performance. She isn't just Carrie Perkens, a person, but an idea, a character, an image crafted for consumption. This image plays into the fetishization of actresses which was a common practice in the late 19th century. While these cards aimed to boost cigarette sales, they also participated in the circulation and commodification of female images. Cards like these reflect the societal norms of the time and how women, especially actresses, were both admired and objectified. They were performers, yes, but also products themselves, caught in the machinery of desire and capitalism. This image, in its own way, is a small, yet powerful comment on the intersection of identity, commerce, and the female form.